Method and System for Automatically Creating PoI by Identifying Geographic Information on a Screen of a Portable Navigation Device

ABSTRACT

A method for automatically creating points of interest by identifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigation device. A first geographic information is retrieved from an information page shown in the screen of the portable navigation device and recognized by comparing with the first geographic information with a geographic information of landmarks stored in a map database of the portable navigation device. It is determined whether the first geographic information is in the map database. If the geographic information is in the map database, a first GPS coordinate corresponding to the first geographic information is obtained and stored as a first POI.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/497,664 filed Jul. 4, 2009, which claims priority of TaiwanPatent Application No. 97150383, filed on Dec. 24, 2008, the entirety ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to image recognition or navigation, and moreparticularly to a method and system for automatically creating point ofinterest (POI) by identifying geographic information on a screen of aportable navigation device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Global positioning system (GPS) functions are applied to mobile devicesfor locating objects. Accordingly, of GPS navigation products, mobilenavigation devices are the most popular.

Mobile navigation devices comprise embedded and portable navigationdevices. Embedded navigation devices are mounted to the body ofvehicles. Portable navigation devices include GPS navigation devices andportable electronic devices with GPS navigation functions such aspersonal mobile devices (personal digital assistants (PDA) or smartphones).

However, for personal mobile devices with GPS navigation functions, whennavigation information is required, an address, a landmark, or ageographical name must be inputted manually or via voice, for generatingnavigation information and a route. Since most personal mobile deviceswith GPS navigation functions already comprises user requestedinformation functions such as weather updates, tourist guides, on-linemap information updates, and so forth, as examples, it would be moreconvenient for users if the personal mobile devices with GPS navigationfunctions can generate routes based on the navigation information shownon a screen of the personal mobile devices with GPS navigationfunctions.

Thus, method and system for navigating to an automatically created POIby recognizing navigation information shown on a screen of a portablenavigation device to generate a route.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Methods for automatically creating POI by identifying geographicinformation on a screen of a portable navigation device are provided. Anexemplary embodiment of a method for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice comprises the following. A first geographic information isretrieved from an information page shown on the screen of the portablenavigation device. The first geographic information is recognized bycomparing with a geographic information of landmarks stored in a mapdatabase of the portable navigation device. It is determined whether thefirst geographic information is in the map database. A first GPScoordinate corresponding to the geographic information is obtained andstored as a first POI, if the geographic information is in the mapdatabase.

Another embodiment of the method for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice comprises the following. Scenic spot information is retrievedfrom an information page shown on the screen of the portable navigationdevice. The scenic spot information is recognized by comparing with amap database of the portable navigation device when the recognizingoperation is complete. It is determined whether the scenic spotinformation is in the map database. A link between the scenic spotinformation and a corresponding GPS coordinate is generated if the firstgeographic information is in the map database.

Another embodiment of the method for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice comprises the following. A telephone number is retrieved from aninformation page shown on the screen of the portable navigation device.The telephone number is recognized. A link between the telephone numberand a communication module of the portable navigation device isgenerated when the recognizing operation is complete.

Systems for automatically creating POI by identifying geographicinformation on a screen of a portable navigation device are provided. Anexemplary embodiment of a system for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice comprises a screen, a map database, a GPS module, a wirelessmodule, a retrieve module, a recognition module, and a route generatingmodule. The retrieve module retrieves geographic information from theinformation page shown on the screen. The recognition module retrievesthe geographic information from the retrieve module and performs arecognition operation to the geographic information. The routegeneration module retrieves the geographic information from therecognition module, compares the first geographic information with ageographic information of landmarks stored in the map database todetermine whether the first geographic information is in the mapdatabase, obtains a first GPS coordinate corresponding to the firstgeographic information from the map database or via the GPS module ifthe geographic information is in the map database, stores the first GPScoordinate as a first POI.

An exemplary embodiment of computer-readable medium encoded withcomputer executable instructions for performing a method forautomatically creating POI by identifying geographic information on ascreen of a portable navigation device is further provided. The computerexecutable instructions comprise retrieving a first geographicinformation from an information page shown in the screen of the portablenavigation device, recognizing the first geographic information bycomparing the first geographic information with a geographic informationof landmarks in a map database of the portable navigation device,determining whether the first geographic information is in the mapdatabase, obtaining a first GPS coordinate corresponding to the firstgeographic information if the first geographic information is in the mapdatabase, and storing the first GPS coordinate as a first POI.

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequentdetailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a system for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method forautomatically creating POI by identifying geographic information on ascreen of a portable navigation device of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Several exemplary embodiments of the invention are described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 3, which generally relate to automaticallycreating POI by identifying geographic information on a screen of aportable navigation device. It is to be understood that the followingdisclosure provides various different embodiments as examples forimplementing different features of the invention. Specific examples ofcomponents and arrangements are described in the following to simplifythe present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and arenot intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure mayrepeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. Thisrepetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not initself dictate a relationship between the various described embodimentsand/or configurations.

The invention discloses a method and system for automatically creatingPOI by identifying geographic information on a screen of a portablenavigation device.

An embodiment of the method and system for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice obtains corresponding GPS coordinate according to a geographicalname (Geoname), a geographical location (Geolocation), or a point ofinterest (POI) shown in a web page on the screen of the portablenavigation device or by recognizing an address or a telephone numbershown in the web page on the screen of the portable navigation devicefor navigation. For example, an information page (a page of a travelwebsite, for example) shown on the screen of the portable navigationdevice displays travel information of multiple scenic spots (i.e. POIs),comprising geographical names, addresses, geographical positions,landmarks, and so forth. When a scenic spot is retrieved, the methodcompares the scenic spot with a preset map database, obtains acorresponding GPS coordinate if the scenic spot is in the map database,and enables automatic navigation of a navigation system of the portablenavigation device for the scenic spot, and displays navigationinformation on the screen of the portable navigation device.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a navigation method for automatically creatingPOI by identifying geographic information on a screen of a portablenavigation device of the present invention.

Geographic information (comprising a geographical name, a geographicallocation, or a point of interest (POI), an address, a telephone number,and so forth) is retrieved from an information page (a page of a travelwebsite, for example) shown on the screen of the portable navigationdevice (step S101). A recognition operation is performed to thegeographic information to obtain text information corresponding to thegeographic information (step S102). For example, when addressinformation of a scenic spot is retrieved, the recognition operation isperformed to the address information to obtain a correct address.

The text information is compared with a geographic information oflandmarks stored in a map database of the portable navigation device(step S103) to determine whether the text information is in the mapdatabase (step S104). A first GPS coordinate corresponding to the textinformation is obtained if the text information is in the map databaseand stored as a first POI (step S105). A first route is generatedaccording to the first GPS coordinate (step S106). A navigatingoperating is performing according to the first route, thus navigating tothe first POI (step S107).

If the text information is not stored in the map database, the portablenavigation device is connected to a remote database via a wirelessnetwork module of the portable navigation device (step S108) andsearches and determines whether updated map information is in the remotedatabase (step S109). If the updated map information exists, the updatedmap information is downloaded (step S110) to update the map database ofthe portable navigation device (step S111). Next, it is determinedwhether the text information is in the updated map database (step S112).The steps S105-S107 are repeated if the text information is in theupdated map database.

If the map information in the map database is not the latest version orthe text information is not stored in the map database, the geographicinformation is added to the map database (step S113), while thegeographic information is updated to the remote database via thewireless network module of the portable navigation device (step S114)and text information which is the most similar to the geographicinformation is searched in the map database (step S115). Next, a secondGPS coordinate corresponding to the searched text information isobtained and stored as a second POI, a second route is generatedaccording to the second GPS coordinate, and displays the second routeand guiding messages corresponding to the second route are displayed onthe screen of the portable navigation device (steps S105˜S107).

Note that recognition of geographic information can be implemented usingoptical character recognition (OCR).

Note that recognizable geographic information comprises a geographicalname, a geographical location, a point of interest, an address, atelephone number, a landmark, a scenery picture, a uniform resourcelocator (URL) address or event description corresponding to thegeographic information.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a system for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice of the present invention.

An exemplary embodiment of a system for automatically creating POI byidentifying geographic information on a screen of a portable navigationdevice comprises a screen 210, a retrieve module 220, a recognitionmodule 230, a route generation module 240, a map database 250, a GPSmodule 260, and a wireless module 270.

The retrieve module 220 retrieves a first geographic information(comprising a geographical name, a geographical location, or a point ofinterest (POI), an address, a telephone number, and so forth) from aninformation page shown on the screen 210 and transmits the firstgeographic information to the recognition module 230. The recognitionmodule 230 performs a recognition operation to the first geographicinformation to obtain text information corresponding to the firstgeographic information and transmits the text information to the routegeneration module 240. For example, when address information of a scenicspot is retrieved, the recognition operation is performed to the addressinformation to obtain a correct address.

The route generation module 240 compares the text information with ageographic information of landmarks stored in the map database 250 todetermine whether the text information is in the map database 250 andobtains a first GPS coordinate corresponding to the text informationfrom the map database 250 or via the GPS module 260 if the textinformation is in the map database 250, stores the first GPS coordinateas a first POI, generates a route according to the first GPS coordinate,and performs a navigating operation according to the first route, thusnavigating to the first POI on the screen 210.

If the text information is not stored in the map database, the routegeneration module 240 connects to a remote database 280 via the wirelessnetwork module 270 and searches and determines whether updated mapinformation is in the remote database 250. If updated map information isexists, the route generation module 240 downloads the updated mapinformation to update the map database 250. Next, the route generationmodule 240 determines whether the text information is in the updated mapdatabase 250 and repeats the described retrieve, generation, and displayoperations if the text information is in the updated map database.

If the map information in the map database 250 is not the latest versionor the text information is not stored in the map database 250, the routegeneration module 240 adds the geographic information to the mapdatabase 250, updates the geographic information to the remote database280 the wireless network module 270, and searches text information whichis the most similar to the first geographic information in the mapdatabase 250. Next, the route generation module 240 obtains a second GPScoordinate corresponding to the searched text information, generates asecond route according to the second GPS coordinate, and displays thesecond route and guiding messages corresponding to the second route onthe screen 210.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of another embodiment of a method forautomatically creating POI by identifying geographic information on ascreen of a portable navigation device of the present invention.

A scenic spot information (a geographic name or an address, for example)or a telephone number is retrieved from an information page (a page of atravel website, for example) shown on a screen of a portable navigationdevice (step S301). The scenic spot information or the telephone numberis recognized (step S302). When the recognizing operation is completed,a link is generated between the scenic spot information andcorresponding GPS coordinate (step S303) or between the telephone numberand a communication module of the portable navigation device (stepS304). For example, in step S303, a link between the scenic spotinformation and corresponding GPS coordinate is generated by comparingthe scenic spot information with a geographic information of landmarksstored in a map database, determining whether the scenic spotinformation is stored in the map database and generating a link betweenthe scenic spot information and corresponding GPS coordinate if thescenic spot information is stored in the map database.

When the link for the scenic spot information is triggered (step S305),a route corresponding to the scenic spot information is displayed on thescreen of the portable navigation device or navigation function of theportable navigation device is automatically activated (step S306). Whenthe link for the telephone number is triggered (step S307), thecommunication module dials the telephone number (step S308).

A display style of the scenic spot information is changed when the linkis generated. The change of the display style, for example, compriseschanging text colors of the scenic spot information, underlining thescenic spot information, enlarging or narrowing text of the scenic spotinformation, or displaying the scenic spot information by bold words

When the link of the scenic spot information or the telephone number isgenerated, a display style of the link would be changed at the sametime. The change of the display style comprises changing text colors ofthe link, underlining the link, enlarging or narrowing text of the link,or displaying the link by bold words.

Methods and systems of the present disclosure, or certain aspects orportions of embodiments thereof, may take the form of a program code(i.e., instructions) embodied in media, such as floppy diskettes,CD-ROMS, hard drives, firmware, or any other machine-readable storagemedium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by amachine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus forpracticing embodiments of the disclosure. The methods and apparatus ofthe present disclosure may also be embodied in the form of a programcode transmitted over some transmission medium, such as electricalwiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form oftransmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded intoand executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes anapparatus for practicing and embodiment of the disclosure. Whenimplemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combineswith the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operatesanalogously to specific logic circuits.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

1. A method for automatically creating POI by identifying geographicinformation on a screen of a portable navigation device, comprising:retrieving a first geographic information from an information page shownon the screen of the portable navigation device; recognizing the firstgeographic information by comparing the first geographic information toa geographic information of landmarks stored in a map database of theportable navigation device; determining whether the first geographicinformation is in the map database; obtaining a first GPS coordinatecorresponding to the first geographic information if the firstgeographic information is in the map database; and storing the first GPScoordinate as a first POI.
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising: generating a first route according to the first GPScoordinate; and performing a navigating operation according to the firstroute, thus navigating to the first POI.
 3. The method as claimed inclaim 1, further comprising: connecting the portable navigation deviceto a remote database via a wireless network module of the portablenavigation device if the first geographic information is not stored inthe map database; searching and determining whether an updated mapinformation is in the remote database; downloading the updated mapinformation to update the map database of the portable navigation deviceif the updated map information exists; determining whether the firstgeographic information is in the updated map database; obtaining thefirst GPS coordinate corresponding to the first geographic informationif the first geographic information is in the updated map database;generating the first route according to the first GPS coordinate; anddisplaying the first route and guiding messages corresponding to thefirst route on the screen.
 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising: adding the first geographic information to the map databaseif the first geographic information is not stored in the map database;updating the first geographic information to a remote database via thewireless network module; searching in the map database, for a secondgeographic information which is the most similar to the first geographicinformation; obtaining a second GPS coordinate corresponding to thesecond geographic information; storing the second GPS coordinate as asecond POI. generating a second route according to the second GPScoordinate; and performing a navigating operation according to thesecond route, thus navigating to the second POI on the screen of theportable device.
 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firstgeographic information includes a geographical name, a geographicallocation, a point of interest, an address, a telephone number, alandmark, a scenery picture, a URL address or event descriptioncorresponding to the first geographic information.
 6. The method asclaimed in claim 1, wherein a recognition operation is performed to thefirst geographic information to retrieve text information correspondingto the first geographic information.
 7. The method as claimed in claim6, wherein the text information includes an address, a telephone number,or a USL address corresponding to the first geographic information.